MHP convenes last camp in Antalya ahead of congress

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli is set to meet the party's district and province heads at a final camp in Antalya ahead of the 12th ordinary congress and will inform party officials about the "national agreement" for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

As part of the preparations for the ordinary congress on March 18, the MHP chair will meet district and province heads for a three-day camp in Antalya starting on Feb. 9. Bahçeli will meet 81 province and 957 district heads on the weekend. The national agreement is expected to top Bahçeli's agenda.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the MHP have agreed to form an alliance for the presidential election in 2019. MHP Chair Bahçeli previously announced that he will not run for the presidency and will instead support President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In relation to the issue, Bahçeli has reiterated that the underlying reason for this decision is that Turkey has been facing various threats following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which was orchestrated by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The MHP chair has been stressing that in the face of these growing threats, a unified and national stance should be presented.

As the body of current law does not allow political parties to make alliances, in order to establish a proper legal base for the alliance, the two parties established a joint committee to focus on the structure of the alliance. It is also being reported in the Turkish media that other parties may join the national agreement alliance established by the AK Party and the MHP with an aim of increasing the chances in elections as they want to reach 50 percent of the vote plus one.

The MHP completed its provincial and district congresses and the party has been working on the preparations for the upcoming congress. The MHP also announced the slogan of the congress which stresses the MHP's long-standing view of nationalism.

Commenting on the ordinary congress, MHP Chair Bahçeli said it is a "democratic opportunity" and will contribute to the "clarification of the strategic preparations, political objectives and policies to follow for the 2019 elections."